A system for parking a vehicle is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes a vehicle including a motor, sensors, a steering system, a processor, and a memory; an autopark program operatively connected to the vehicle's steering system; a navigation program operatively connected to the vehicle and configured to determine the vehicle's speed and lane with the sensors, to evaluate the data, and in response to the evaluation, to automatically execute the autopark program.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A system for parking a vehicle comprising: a vehicle including a motor, sensors, a steering system, a processor, and a memory; an autopark program operatively connected to the vehicle's steering system; a navigation program operatively connected to the vehicle and configured to determine the vehicle's speed and lane with the sensors, to evaluate the data, and in response to the evaluation, to automatically execute the autopark program.
A vehicle parking system uses a car equipped with a motor, sensors (camera, sonar, radar, lidar), a steering system, a processor, and memory. It has an "autopark program" connected to the steering system. A "navigation program" uses the sensors to determine the vehicle's speed and lane, evaluates this data, and automatically starts the autopark program based on the evaluation results.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the navigation program is configured to evaluate the vehicle's speed and lane when the vehicle enters a precalculated zone.
The vehicle parking system described above activates the "navigation program's" speed and lane evaluation specifically when the vehicle enters a "precalculated zone". This means the system predefines areas where parking assistance might be helpful, and the automatic evaluation only begins within these zones.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the navigation program is configured to determine the one or more zones only in response to one or more measured conditions meeting a user-adjustable threshold.
The vehicle parking system with "precalculated zones" only determines these zones if certain conditions are met. These conditions are measured by the car's sensors, and a user can adjust a threshold to determine when a zone is created. For example, the system might only define parking zones near the destination if a certain amount of parking spaces are detected.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the measured condition is the vehicle's distance proximity to a received destination.
In the vehicle parking system, the "measured condition" for creating "precalculated zones" (as described in the previous claims) is the vehicle's distance from the final destination. The system will start looking for or calculating zones when it is within a defined distance of the destination.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the measured condition is the vehicle's time proximity a received destination.
In the vehicle parking system, the "measured condition" for creating "precalculated zones" (as described in the previous claims) is the vehicle's time remaining until arrival at the destination. The system will start looking for or calculating zones when the estimated arrival time is within a defined time frame.
6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the navigation program is configured to display the one or zones on a virtual map.
The vehicle parking system with "precalculated zones" displays these zones on a virtual map within the vehicle. This allows the driver to visualize the areas where the automatic parking assistance system is active and evaluating the vehicle's surroundings.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the navigation program is configured to display numeric rankings of the one or more zones on the virtual map, and the numeric ratings are calculated according to predetermined user-adjustable criteria.
The vehicle parking system displays "precalculated zones" on a map and also assigns numeric rankings to each zone. These rankings are based on user-adjustable criteria. The driver can customize what factors (e.g., distance to destination, parking difficulty) contribute to the ranking of each potential parking zone.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation includes comparing the vehicle's speed and lane to user-adjustable criteria.
The vehicle parking system evaluates data, including the vehicle's speed and lane, against user-adjustable criteria to determine when to activate the automatic parking program. Users can customize acceptable speed and lane positioning parameters that trigger the autopark feature.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the navigation program is configured to perform the evaluation in response to a condition detected by a camera, sonar, radar, or lidar sensor mounted on the vehicle.
The vehicle parking system's evaluation of speed and lane data begins when a condition is detected by a camera, sonar, radar, or lidar sensor on the vehicle. For instance, the system may start evaluating when the camera identifies a parking space, or when the sonar detects a suitable gap between cars.
10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the precalculated zones are calculated by comparing parking space data to user-adjustable criteria.
The "precalculated zones" used by the vehicle parking system are determined by comparing parking space data against user-adjustable criteria. The parking space data is based on parking space size, angle of entry, and nearby obstacles and users can customize the criteria based on the factors that contribute most to their parking preference.
11. The system of claim 10 , configured to automatically select the user-adjustable criteria in response to at least one of: a measured weather condition, a measured traffic condition, an identity of the driver, and a kind of preselected destination.
The vehicle parking system automatically selects the user-adjustable criteria for "precalculated zones" based on weather conditions, traffic conditions, the driver's identity, or the type of destination. For example, in heavy rain, the system might prioritize covered parking or closer spots, or it might adjust parking preferences based on a driver profile.
12. The system of claim 4 , configured to determine the assessment area based on user-adjustable criteria.
In the vehicle parking system, the "assessment area" (where the system looks for parking spaces) is determined based on user-adjustable criteria. Users can define parameters like distance from the destination or street-side preference to narrow down the area the system actively monitors for parking spots.
13. The system of claim 12 , configured to only assess data related to open parking spaces when the vehicle is inside the assessment area.
The vehicle parking system only processes data related to available parking spaces if the vehicle is located inside a predefined "assessment area." This helps to reduce processing requirements by only evaluating relevant data when the vehicle is in a feasible location to park.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation begins when the vehicle enters a precalculated zone and ends when the vehicle enters autopark.
The vehicle parking system's evaluation process starts when the vehicle enters a "precalculated zone" and continues until the vehicle enters autopark. This provides a defined window in which the system actively assesses the parking situation and prepares for the automated parking maneuver.
15. A method of parking a vehicle having a motor, sensors, a steering system, a processor, and a memory, comprising: determining the vehicle's speed and lane with the sensors and a navigation program operatively coupled to the vehicle; evaluating the data; and automatically executing the vehicle's autopark in response to the evaluation.
A method for parking a vehicle utilizes the car's existing motor, sensors, steering system, processor, and memory. The method involves using the sensors, along with a navigation program, to determine the vehicle's speed and lane position. Then, the system evaluates this data and automatically activates the vehicle's autopark function based on the evaluation.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the navigation program is configured to evaluate the vehicle's speed and lane when the vehicle enters a precalculated zone.
The vehicle parking method described above includes the step of evaluating the vehicle's speed and lane specifically when the vehicle enters a "precalculated zone". This means the system predefines areas where parking assistance might be helpful, and the automatic evaluation only begins within these zones.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the navigation program is configured to determine the one or more zones only in response to one or more measured conditions meeting a user-adjustable threshold.
In the vehicle parking method, the system determines parking "zones" only if certain measured conditions meet user-adjustable thresholds. The car's sensors perform the measurements and a user can adjust sensitivity. Only after the sensor measures appropriate conditions near the destination will the "zones" be activated and defined.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the measured condition is the vehicle's distance proximity to a received destination.
In the vehicle parking method, the "measured condition" for determining parking "zones" is the vehicle's distance from the final destination. The system will start looking for or calculating zones when it is within a defined distance of the destination, triggering zone evaluation.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the measured condition is the vehicle's time proximity a received destination.
In the vehicle parking method, the "measured condition" for determining parking "zones" is the vehicle's time remaining until arrival at the destination. The system will start looking for or calculating zones when the estimated arrival time is within a defined time frame, triggering zone evaluation.
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January 12, 2016
May 2, 2017
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